My first favorite closeout bass is, of course, the MTD Beast. And those are about all gone. A super deal, I've had three of them.

My other favorite closeout bargain, that I had one of this summer, is the Dearmond Pilot Pro 4. I thought they were all gone but I recently saw that Sam Ash has 30 more of them. Actually it's down to 29 now after I caved and went for another one.

Natural finish ash body, 4 piece 35" scale neck, a pair of Dearmond humbucking pickups and a 3-band active system. $199.99 from Sam Ash with free shipping. I got my first one from MF for $169.99 but they haven't had any for a long time. I sold it for more than that when I decided to go a different way. It sounded good, played well and looked nice (if you like the natural look). Original list $699.99, original street price about $420, closeout for $199.99. How can you pass it up?

I recommended them before and I'll recommend them again. If you are looking for a quality bass at a good price one of these at $200 brand new is amazing. I think it's a better deal than a Mexican Fender, OLP Stingray or similar bass that would cost more. It's almost as nice as the MTD Kingston & Beast.

Just passing the word on what I think is a great deal to my TB bretheren.

I bought one of the Pilot Plus 5-strings from Sam Ash for $159. I really didn't need another, (I own 19 basses) but I couldn't pass on one for that price. I love it, especially the comfortable neck. $200, that's a real deal.